MARENCP is started using an ENTER file or procedure. For this purpose, several start files (ENTER and procedure files) are supplied with MAREN. These differ in structure depending on their purpose, and may need to be adapted to suit local conditions.
ENTER files for MARENCP
Two ENTER files are supplied as samples for MAREN operation in exclusive or shared mode (see section “Operating modes in MAREN”):
SYSENT.MAREN.<ver>.EXCL.MARENCPSYSENT.MAREN.<ver>.SHAR.MARENCP
A separate ENTER file is required for each system in the MAREN network. Each ENTER file must be adapted to conditions in the data center.
Notes on shared mode
When access is to take place from remote systems in the MAREN network to the central MAREN catalog with RFA, the connection to the partner system must be set up using the SET-RFA-CONNECTION command before the MAREN catalog file is assigned. Since this involves simultaneous access to the MAREN catalog by several systems, the catalog files should be opened in shared update mode (see the operand SHARED-UPDATE=*YES in the ADD command). The logging file should always be located on the local system.
In MAREN shared mode, it is possible that connection setup to the system with the MAREN catalog will not always work immediately when the MARENCP task is started on a remote system. A sufficiently long time period should therefore be specified for the TIME operand in the SET-RFA-CONNECTION command, within which the MARENCP task on the remote system will attempt to set up a connection. If the TIME operand is set too low, the MARENCP task on the RFA remote system will terminate prematurely without a connection being established.
If MARENCP on a remote system receives a DMS error code when accessing the MAREN catalog indicating a failure of the RFA connection to the system with the MAREN catalog, MARENCP sets task switch 28 and terminates. This switch should be queried in the MARENCP ENTER file for shared mode. If it was set by MARENCP, the connection should be cleared using REM-RFA-CONNECTION and attempts made at regular intervals to open a connection to the system with the MAREN catalog using SET-RFA-CONNECTION.
The command format of the ENTER files should be identical on all systems, so that major modifications to the start procedures do not have to be undertaken when transferring the MAREN catalog. For this reason, the ENTER file on the system with the MAREN catalog should also include a SET-RFA-CONNECTION command.
Assigning files
In all start files, the addressed files of the MAREN catalog must be assigned with link names before MARENCP is called. The names of the catalog files and their user IDs are freely selectable here. It is recommended that these files be kept under the execution ID of the MARENCP task (SYSMAREN). The following link names are expected:
| MARENCAT | for the volume catalog | |
| MARENLOG | for the logging file | |
| MARENLMF | for the reservation file | |
| MARENLIB | For a module library with the MAREN exits (Allocation of the MAREN module library is required only if exit routines are to be activated.) |
Offline logging
If no volume catalog is assigned (e.g. because there are none available), MARENCP activates offline logging. In other words, only logging records are written. As soon as the volume catalog becomes available again, the logging records can be “merged” using the MARENADM statement UPDATE-MAREN-CATALOG.
Since the protection attributes of the tapes cannot be evaluated without accessing the volume catalog, the operator is responsible for permitting or rejecting tape requests.